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Postgraduate support

We look forward to showing you why the University is consistently ranked as an excellent place to study and learn, why the Faculty of Arts and Humanities is widely recognised as a centre of excellence in our many subject areas and how we will prepare you for your next step in your career or further learning, working with our wold class careers service (1st in Scotland and Top 15 in the World for careers services (UK International Student Barometer (ISB) Benchmark and Global ISB Benchmark 2018).

Female students smiling and chatting

Welcoming you to Stirling

We understand that arriving at a new University, perhaps in a new country, can be daunting. As well as running a series of welcome events to help you settle in quickly, the University has a dedicated Student Support team which can assist you with everything from exam preparation to personal or financial challenges. Your course staff and personal tutor will also be on hand to support you throughout your studies. Our welcome events will help you meet staff, other students and learn a little about how things work at Stirling.

Postgraduate Plus+

Get work-ready with our postgraduate employability course.

Find out more

Postgraduate taught course welcome meetings

The Faculty arranges a welcome meeting so that you can meet the staff, other students and learn a little about how things work at Stirling.

What to expect from postgraduate study

As you move from undergraduate to postgraduate study, you'll find a much stronger emphasis on self-directed learning, and an expectation that your own intellectual curiosity will drive your studies to a far greater extent. You'll need to be able to deal with a greater level of abstraction and theoretical complexity. You'll also be expected to engage with and in the most up-to-date research, and develop your own innovative ways of thinking about topics.

You'll need to develop your critical research and enquiry skills, as well as relevant technical and practical skills, and you'll become a much more autonomous learner, developing the skills of self-organisation and self-motivation. You'll also need to learn to deal with the unpredictable nature of research, and how to cope with both negative and positive results from your data and/or research. Lastly, you'll learn about appropriate professional attitudes, behaviour and values in your discipline, including learning ethical behaviours, developing academic integrity, recognising the need to reflect on methodology, and becoming part of a research community.

All of these challenges will ultimately push you forward in your area of specialism, empowering you to enhance your future opportunities. 

Research seminars

We run a lively schedule of research seminars within the Faculty of Arts and Humanities, giving you the opportunity to hear from international experts in your field as they present their cutting-edge research. The seminars also present a great opportunity to meet fellow postgraduate students from the Faculty, so make sure you don't miss out. 

See upcoming seminars

Arts and Humanities Graduate Office

Our Graduate Studies Office acts as the hub for our postgraduate community, servicing the needs of students and staff across a range of disciplines and programs, co-ordinating student training skills and development, and ensuring we provide a rewarding and enjoyable student experience. If you're studying a postgraduate taught (Masters) programme, you will most likely meet your Programme Administrator at one of your first meetings, and if you are starting a PhD with us, please do drop by the office when you are first on campus so that you can meet the office staff. They will be your first point of contact throughout your time at Stirling and can help you with any queries or problems that you may have. 

The Graduate Studies Office is based in the Pathfoot Building, Room A11 and the e-mail address is fahgs@stir.ac.uk.

Employability

An impressive 96% of University of Stirling postgraduate leavers are in employment or further study within six months of graduating (Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education survey 2016/17). We offer a comprehensive employability and skills programme to help you maximise your time at university and develop the graduate attributes required by employers. Our ILM accredited Postgraduate Plus+ programme offers students the opportunity to develop employability skills alongside their studies.

Find out more about postgraduate employability.

Student voice – make a difference to the student experience

Through our Students’ Union we have a system of Student Faculty Officers and module representatives who represent students, making sure the student voice is part of all decisions which affect student learning. Get involved and make a difference, while developing leadership skills and credit on your degree transcript for the work you do. More details will be available at induction.

Key contacts

For Postgraduate Taught (Masters) students, your main point of contact will be the Director of your Masters programme. However, every Division also has a Director of Postgraduate Taught, and the Faculty of Arts and Humanities Postgraduate Taught Director is Dr Will Dinan.

For Postgraduate Research (PhD students), your main point of contact will be your PhD supervisor (and other members of your supervisory team, if appropriate). Each Faculty also has a Director of Postgraduate Research, and the Faculty of Arts and Humanities Postgraduate Research Director is Dr Hong-Lin Yu.

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